WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 – Charleston News, Sports, Weather
BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–According to authorities, what started as an arrest for disorderly conduct on Monday morning ended up as an arson investigation and manhunt for 33-year-old Daniel Brooks Ward of Moncks Corner on Monday afternoon.
Berkeley County Spokesperson Michael Mule said that Ward was initially arrested by Berkeley County Sheriff Deputies and charged with public disorderly conduct during the early morning hours of April 6th following a disturbance at his residence on Lankford Street in Moncks Corner.
Following his release on bond, Ward allegedly made threatening phone calls to his wife, returned to his residence and set the residence on fire.
He then fled the scene with several firearms he retrieved from his residence.
Detectives said that Ward then drove to a relative’s house on Ward Lane in Summerville, where he allegedly got into a physical altercation with relatives after threatening to harm himself.
In the process of relatives trying to disarm Ward, a rifle Ward was allegedly carrying was discharged at least two times. Ward managed to flee into a nearby wooded area with a high-powered rifle, and a manhunt ensued.
Operations Major Anthony Phyall said that a reverse 9-1-1 alert was quickly sent out to advise residents in the affected area to use caution and remain indoors. As a precaution, several schools located in the Cane Bay subdivision were on lockdown and sporting events planned for that evening were cancelled.
After several hours of searching for Ward – Ward surrendered to Sheriff’s deputies, was arrested and transported to the Hill-Finklea Detention Center pending charges of Arson of the 3rd Degree and Criminal Domestic Violence.
Ward will appear at a bond hearing at 7:00PM tonight at the Hill-Finklea Detention Center.
Multiple agencies assisted the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office in the immediate investigation and search. Participating agencies in the investigation and/or manhunt included the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office Aviation and K-9 Units, officers with the SC Department of Natural Resources, the SLED Arson Investigation and Arson K-9 Units and members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.
“This is another example of local law enforcement agencies working together to quickly resolve a situation which put our community in jeopardy,” said Captain Bobby Shuler of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
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